JUNE 29, 1939

HYPE PARK, Wednesday—I forgot to mention the other day, because there always seems so much
to write about, thaton Monday evening the President and I attended our Chapel Corners Grange meeting.
He, together with two ladies, was given his silver certificate for 25 years membership.
One lady looked so young that I imagine she must have joined as a child. When the
President joined the Grange, it was not a period of my life when I joined much of
anything. For some years, I spent most of my time looking after a family of children
who were fairly nearly the same age, but later on I also joined, so I was allowed
to be at this meeting Monday night, but only as a much more recent member.

There were representatives from many other granges in the country, and even one or
two from other countries. Everybody seemed to have a good time seeing everybody else.
My husband met a number of people he hadn't seen for a long time and I was amused
by some of the conversations I overheard. Mr. Ben Haviland has a farm just a little
way down the road from our land on the East Park Road, and when the President asked
him how he felt, he said he just felt tired. To which my husband replied cheerfully:
"Oh, you musn't be tired, you are never going to grow old, and that new school going up in back of your place is going to be called the Ben Haviland School."

Three new schools are being built and Mr. Haviland is one of the people who helped very much in the consideration which was given to the question
of schooling for the children of this district. He has always been a very useful citizen
and his face lit up at the thought of this recognition of his services, so I hope
the President's idea will be concurred in by those who name the schools.

I have a nice letter from a young man and, just because he seems to be successful,
I am going to quote exactly what he has written me: "I am a young man, still in my
early twenties, have a small business of my own, which was accomplished through my
own efforts. I have a hobby, in fact I have two of them, doing literary work and collecting
autographs, *****Mrs. Roosevelt, couldn't you encourage the youths of our nation to
create a hobby for themselves? Couldn't you spare two or three lines in your column
some day? I know it would do a world of good, and it will probably help some youth
who is in distress and probably it will be helping the youth who some day you and
I and millions of others will be voting for, to guide our prosperous and fruitful
nation."

He hasn't got a bad idea, but I don't know that I would advocate autographs as a hobby.
I think gardening or some kind of craft which might be used, not only to beautify
one's home, but to bring some extra pennies into one's pocket, would be a more advantageous
hobby.

Now we are going to meet Governor Lehman and the rest of the guests who have come
to New York State for the Governors' conference. I will tell you a little more about
that tomorrow.